The present disclosure is related to wellbore operations and, more particularly, to a fluid extraction and separation system.
In the oil and gas industry, many different types of fluids are circulated into a wellbore and subsequently returned to the surface. Such fluids, often referred to as “fluid returns,” can include, but are not limited to, drilling fluid, completion fluids, fracturing fluids, stimulations fluids, spotting fluids, wellbore treatment fluids, etc. Fluid returns are often analyzed by well operators in order to determine various wellbore parameters.
For instance, while a well is being drilled, various measurements can be obtained from fluid returns from a drilling fluid. For example, these measurements provide a running log or record of the drilling operation, which permits a well operator to analyze the earth formations that are progressively being penetrated by the drill bit. The running log generated from the measurements can be particularly important because it can enable the well operator to ascertain the presence of oil, gas, and/or other formation fluids in the formations being penetrated. For instance, it is possible by comparing the ratios of methane to each of several other hydrocarbon gases present in the fluid return, such as ethane, propane, butane and pentane, to estimate whether a well will be productive and, if so, whether the well will produce oil, gas or water. Beyond this, the running log may prove advantageous in providing ratios for total gas content to oil content, water content, location relative to formation, depositional environment, and further aid in drilling optimization.
In order to measure the type and amount of a fluid found in the particular formation being drilled, the drilling fluid returning to the surface can be continuously or discretely sampled and introduced into a fluid separator that extracts gases entrained in the drilling fluid. The extracted gases can then be conveyed to a gas analyzer to determine the chemical composition. In some cases, the separated liquids may also be analyzed for chemical composition.